Monthly Archives: January 2010

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LA MIRADA — A man was wounded Sunday in an apparently gang-related shooting in La Mirada, authorities said.The shooting took place just after 6 p.m. at in the 13800 block of Ratliffe Street, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Art Marrujo said.The victim, a Latino man in his 40s, suffered several gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital where he was expected to survive, sheriff’s officials said.No description of the shooter was available and the details of the shooting remained unclear late Sunday, Sgt. Robert Renteria said, however the shooting initially appeared to be gang-related.

ONTARIO — A West Covina man was found shot to death in the parking lot of an Ontario apartment complex Friday morning.Police officers responded to the 2500 block of East Riverside Drive about 8:10 a.m. after reports of shots fired in the area, said Ontario police Sgt. David McBride. Vincent Mejia II, 33, of West Covina had several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not release any suspect information for the killing.Family members in West Covina declined to comment Sunday.

West Covina police kept busy overnight with these two unrelated incidents:

WEST COVINA — Police arrested a man Saturday who allegedly fled the scene of an injury car crash while drunk.Miguel Alcaraz, 40, of La Puente was booked on suspicion of drunken driving and felony hit-and-run in connection with the crash, which was witnessed by a police officer, West Covina police said in a written statement.Alcaraz allegedly ran a red light on Lark Ellen Avenue at Puente Avenue before crashing into a Honda minivan that was westbound on Puente Avenue, police said. He then drove away without stopping.A West Covina police officer who saw the crash stopped Alcaraz several blocks away and arrested him, officials said.The driver of the minivan, a man in his 40s, suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said, possibly including a broken hand.Alcaraz was was being held at the West Covina Police Department jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to sheriff’s booking records. He was due for arraingment in West Covina Superior Court Tuesday.

WEST COVINA — Three men and a woman robbed a woman of her cell phone early Sunday, police said.The crime occurred about 1 a.m. at Ranchero Street and La Sena Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said in a written statement.The 23-year-old woman was dropped off in the area by her friends and had just finished calling her father when she was approached by a 2-door compact car, the lieutenant said.A woman with a knife got out of the passenger side of the car and demanded the woman’s cell phone, which she handed over, Sevilla said.The robber was a Latino woman, estimated to be 18 or 19, about 5 feet 1 inch tall and 140 to 160 pounds, police said. She had thin eyebrows.The victim also saw three men with the appearance of gang members inside the car, police added.Anyone with information is asked to call the West Covina Police Department.

PASADENA — Three men were behind bars Sunday on suspicion of raping a 38-year-old Glendale woman, police said.Diego Celis, 21, of Pasadena, Fernando Ramirez, 31, of Pasadena and Jorge Farro, 43, of Arcadia were booked Saturday on suspicion of rape, Pasadena police Lt. Chris Russ said.The alleged crime took place Friday night, he said.The woman met the men while drinking at a bar in the 600 block of East Colorado Boulevard, the lieutenant said.“The next thing she recalls is waking up in a motel room (in the 1500 block of East Colorado Boulevard),” Russ said.She immediately went to a hospital and reported she had been raped.One of the suspects was arrested at a motel, while the other two were arrested at their jobs, Russ added.Celis, Ramirez and Farro were being held at the Pasadena City Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each, officials said. They were expected to be arrained Tuesday in Pasadena Superior Court.

DIAMOND BAR — Authorities Sunday released the name of a 57-year-old Covina man who died following a freeway car crash in Diamond BarDouglas Dailey died at a hospital shortly after Friday’s 7 a.m. crash on a transition road between the Orange (57) Freeway and the Pomona (60) Freeway in Diamond Bar, California Highway Patrol Officer Krystal Carter said.CHP officials said it initially appeared Dailey may have suffered a medical problem before crashing his pickup truck into the rear of another pickup truck and big rig. He died at Pomona Valley Medical Center within an hour of the collision.It was not clear Sunday whether Dailey died as a result of the crash, or from a medical issue, Carter said.

WEST COVINA — A gunman escaped with an unknown amount of cash Saturday after holding up a cell phone store, police said.The robbery occurred about 6:20 p.m. at a cell phone store in the 1300 block of South Azusa Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.Police described the robber as a Latino man in his mid-20s, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, of medium build, wearing a gray sweater, baggy blue jeans and a beanie covering his face. He carried a handgun in his pocket.The robber was last seen running west from the area with an undisclosed amount of stolen cash, Sevilla said.

WEST COVINA — Police arrested three teenagers Friday who allegedly tried to rob another teen, police said.A 15-year-old boy was walked up to a group of three other teenagers just after 10 p.m. in the 200 block of South Glendora Avenue, West Covina police said in a written statement.The alleged victim asked the three other boys for a cigarette and walked away, police said.“The three male juveniles caught up with the victim and demanded his money and property,” the statement said. One of the boys had what the apparent victim believed to be a knife.The alleged victim ran off without giving the other boys anything, officials said.Police found the three suspected robbers in the area, and a set of brass knuckles near them, police said. They were 15, 16 and 17 years old, and all from West Covina.The young suspects were booked at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on suspicion of attempted robbery.

EL MONTE — The lead investigator in the slaying of a Southern California school board member in Mexico has been killed in an ambush, authorities said Saturday.Mexican officials wouldn’t say whether investigator Manuel Acosta’s killing was related to the killing of Agustin Roberto “Bobby” Salcedo last month.Acosta, 42, was ambushed near his office Jan. 15 by gunmen in a pickup truck. He was shot several times in the chest and torso, but survived in critical condition. He succumbed to his wounds Tuesday.Authorities didn’t immediately disclose the attack, saying they hoped to better protect Acosta by letting his assailants assume he was dead. Five others were killed in the attack.His death was first reported in Mexico’s Milenio newspaper and confirmed to an American newspaper Saturday by Martin Chavez, spokesman for the city of Gomez Palacio.It’s unclear what impact the death of Acosta will have on the case, in which little progress has been reported.Rep. Judy Chu, D-El Monte, who expressed outrage after Salcedo’s killing on Dec. 31, said she was “shocked and dismayed” to learn of the death of the lead investigator in the case.“It shows the degree to which the drug cartels are out of control,” Chu said. “It’s unimaginable too that they would dare murder the investigator in such a high-profile case.”The congresswoman added that the recent development further demonstrates the need to have the investigation handled by federal authorities in Mexico, not just local police.“This actually furthers my resolve to make this a federal case for law enforcement in Mexico,” she said.Based on a conversation with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico on Wednesday, Chu said she remains hopeful that may occur.First, she said, “They need to find a legal means to do so.”Federal authorities in the U.S. have already offered assistance in the investigation, Chu said, primarily by examining forensic evidence.Salcedo’s family members could not be reached for comment Saturday.El Monte <NO1>city <NO>Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki said she was “stunned” to learn of the investigator’s death.El Monte Chief of Police Tom Armstrong said it is always a sad occasion to learn of the death of a law enforcement officer.“It’s a tragedy wherever it happens,” he said. “We pray for his family, and we pray that the perpetrators are arrested.”Armstrong said he knew Salcedo through city business.“He was one of El Monte’s current and future leaders,” the chief said. “It was obvious not only by his involvement in his chosen profession, education, but being involved in public policy as it related to schools.”“It was a shock to everyone to learn of his passing in such an unnecessary and violent way,” he added.Salcedo, a 33-year-old assistant principal, was killed Dec. 31 while he and his wife were visiting relatives in Gomez Palacio. Salcedo and five other people were abducted from a restaurant and later found shot in the head, their bodies dumped in the outskirts of town.Salcedo, a Southern California native, is believed to have been the first U.S. elected official killed in the 4-year-old Mexican drug war.Gomez Palacio is ground zero of the drug war. Authorities suspect a drug cartel was involved in the killings, including Salcedo’s.A few days after his death, about 5,000 people gathered for a vigil in Salcedo’s honor in El Monte, where he had been a teacher, coach and school administrator.

TEMPLE CITY — An elderly Temple City man who was pulled from his burning house by good Samaritans and a sheriff’s deputy Friday died at the hospital Friday night, officials said.Wayne Weber, 86, died at the hospital about six hours after the 2:50 p.m. fire at his home in at 10165 Bogue Street in Temple City, coroner’s and sheriff’s officials said.Deputy Reynaldo Lainez and the good Samaritans found Weber lying down in the flaming house with burns covering 80 percent of his body, Lainez said.The deputy himself was hospitalized for smoke inhalation following the incident.

POMONA — Authorities say a 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing two teenagers and wounding a third in a Pomona park.Pomona police say witnesses called to report the shooting Friday afternoon at Ted Greene Park.Responding officers found the two most seriously injured boys still at the park. Both died after they were transported to a hospital.The third teen was treated for gunshot injuries and is expected to survive.The suspect was found hiding behind a house near the park.His name has not been released.

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